My Morning Jacket to Headline Forecastle Festival in July

by Devin Katayama on January 24, 2012

Louisville’s My Morning Jacket will headline the 10th annual Forecastle Festival at Waterfront Park this summer. Early details of the festival have been released and the full lineup is expected to be named in the coming weeks.

On Tuesday, My Morning Jacket’s Jim James and Patrick Hallahan joined Mayor Greg Fischer and festival partners in unveiling details of July’s festival.

This is the first Forecastle since founder J.K. McKnight partnered with AC Entertainment, which also runs Tennessee’s Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival.

“It’s a moment that I do feel took 10 years to get to and it’s a moment that everyone in the city has asked me about for years and years and wanted to happen,” said McKnight.

My Morning Jacket is helping curate the festival, which James said will include some surprises.

“I’m just going to say this slogan once but keep it in your brains: Christmas in July,” he said.

Forecastle offers the region more than just music, he said.

“Forecastle is a great vehicle for our city to come together and talk about art and talk about music and talk about causes that are important to our town,” said James.

Forecastle is scheduled for July 13-15. McKnight said he hopes nearly 40,000 people will attend, increasing attendance by nearly 10,000 from previous years.

Early ticket sales begin Friday. The price will start at $100 dollars, which McKnight said is a little lower than previous years. When more tickets are released later this year, there will be a tiered structure.